The present invention relates to a drumstick of the type commonly employed in playing percussion instruments such as drums, cymbals and the like.
Drumsticks are usually made of wood because suitable woods are readily available, relatively inexpensive, and easily worked. Further, wooden drumsticks have good handling and acceptable rebound characteristics. However, wooden drumsticks may splinter, chip, crack or break after a relatively short period of normal use. In an effort to overcome the undesirable properties of wooden drumsticks while retaining their desirable characteristics, various non-wood combinations have been proposed for the fabrication of drumsticks. Reference may be had to the U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,485 to Peters and the U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,323 to Kline for disclosures of drumsticks constructed of fiberglass or thermoplastic materials such as nylon. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,350 to Cordes discloses a drumstick made of a generally tubular metal member partially covered by a plastic coating or sleeve. The U.S. Pat. to Robba et al., No. 3,146,659, and that to Colyer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,489,052, disclose the combined use of metal and plastic for providing a drumstick with desired characteristics. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,013, to Menard and that to Fiedler et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,460, disclose constructions which incorporate nylon and rubber in a drumstick. Although the disclosures of the above patents presumably provide drumsticks that are free of several of the more common undesirable defects, it is evident that the disclosed methods and constructions differ greatly from the manner in which an improved drumstick is produced according to the present invention, and to the present novel drumstick itself.